Terror of Mechagodzilla
Godzilla faces rebuilt Mechagodzilla and a new monster.
Terror of Mechagodzilla is a 1975 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, the 15th entry in the Godzilla franchise. It serves as a direct sequel to Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and is the final film of the Shōwa era, as well as the last Godzilla film directed by Honda before his death.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Ishirō Honda
- Producer
- Tomoyuki Tanaka; Henry G. Saperstein
- Writer
- Yukiko Takayama
- Starring
- Katsuhiko Sasaki
- Tomoko Ai
- Akihiko Hirata
- Katsumasa Uchida
- Gorō Mutsumi
- Tadao Nakamaru
- Toru Kawai
- Music
- Akira Ifukube
- Cinematography
- Sokei Tomioka
- Editing
- Yoshitami Kuroiwa
- Studio
- Toho–Eizo
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Interpol agents hunting for Mechagodzilla's wreckage in the Okinawan Sea are attacked by a giant marine dinosaur, Titanosaurus, and vanish. Marine biologist Akira Ichinose helps Interpol trace the creature to mad scientist Shinzô Mafune, who wants humanity destroyed. Mafune's daughter Katsura, a cyborg after a lab injury, claims her father is dead. The Simeons, led by Mugal, offer Mafune help rebuilding Mechagodzilla into Mechagodzilla 2, implanting a control device in Katsura. Ichinose falls for Katsura and accidentally reveals Interpol's data. Mafune unleashes Titanosaurus on Yokosuka without permission. Interpol finds Titanosaurus weak to supersonic waves, but Katsura smashes their oscillator. Godzilla beats Titanosaurus, forcing it to flee. The Simeons capture Ichinose and send Mechagodzilla 2 and Titanosaurus against Tokyo. Interpol fixes the oscillator, and Godzilla fights both. Agents rescue Ichinose, kill Mafune, and Godzilla sinks Simeon ships with atomic breath. Katsura shoots herself to disable the control device. Godzilla destroys Mechagodzilla 2, Katsura dies in Ichinose's arms, and Godzilla defeats Titanosaurus before returning to the sea.
Production
Yukiko Takayama's original screenplay, created after winning Toho's story contest, was submitted for approval on July 1, 1974. The original concept was similar to the finished film, with changes driven by budget. Two dinosaurs called the Titans, which merged to become Titanosaurus, were removed from the first draft. The final battle originally would have reduced Tokyo to rubble. Takayama submitted a revised version on October 14, 1974, followed by a third revision on December 4 and another on December 28 before approval. Jun Fukuda was initially offered the director role but refused. Rumors persist that Yoshimitsu Banno was also asked to direct. Ishirō Honda later lamented not working with Takayama again, noting that a woman's perspective was fresh for the genre. Kensho Yamashita served as chief assistant director but noted Honda never assigned him any shooting, possibly because Honda was happy to direct again. The film contains brief nudity when Katsura undergoes surgery to have the control device implanted; her breasts are exposed, though a mannequin was used. This scene was cut from U.S. theatrical and TV versions and the UK theatrical version, but was intact in the 1992 VHS release.
English version
Toho titled its English version Terror of Mechagodzilla and had it dubbed in Hong Kong. This international version saw limited release in the United States but was issued on VHS in the UK and on DVD in Taiwan. Henry G. Saperstein released the film to television in late 1978 under the title Terror of Mechagodzilla, mostly uncut except for the nudity scene, and added a 10-minute prologue with footage from Invasion of Astro-Monster and All Monsters Attack. In the mid-1980s, the U.S. television version was replaced by the theatrical edit, though the title changed to Terror of Mechagodzilla. The 1994 Paramount release listed an 89-minute runtime but contained the edited theatrical version. In 1997, Channel 4 in the UK aired an uncut dubbed version, including the nudity scene, without the Western-made prologue.
Reception
On American Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 43% approval rating based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. In Japan, it sold 980,000 tickets, making it the least-attended Godzilla film in Japan and one of only two to sell less than 1 million tickets. Despite mixed but generally positive reviews, its poor performance was part of a wider downturn in monster movie ticket sales, leading Toho to pause production of monster movies. Toho intended the hiatus to be temporary, and several treatments for new Godzilla films were proposed through the 1970s, but none were made until 1984. The film has been released on DVD in the United States multiple times: by Simitar Entertainment on May 6, 1998; by First Classic Media on September 17, 2002; and by Second Classic Media on November 20, 2007. In 2019, both the Japanese version and the export English version were included in a Blu-ray box set by the Criterion Collection covering all 15 Shōwa-era Godzilla films.
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